SIERRA STREAMS INSTITUTE

What SIERRA STREAMS INSTITUTE does

Sierra Streams Institute (SSI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization founded in 1995 in Nevada City, California, originally as Friends of Deer Creek. Its mission is to promote scientific knowledge and stewardship of Sierra Nevada watersheds through research, restoration, education, and community science. SSI operates four integrated program areas: (1) Watershed Monitoring, collecting long-term field data across Deer Creek and Bear River; (2) in-house Chemistry and Water Quality Laboratory plus a BMI (Benthic Macroinvertebrate) Bug Lab, which together have identified 232,041 BMIs since 2020; (3) Restoration projects targeting riparian and forest health, including published phytoremediation research at the Providence Mine site; and (4) Education programs delivering K-12 field trips, teacher resources, and California Naturalist certification to 5,000+ students. Research arms include the CHIME (Community Health Impacts of Mining Exposure) study, funded by the California Breast Cancer Research Program, and additional work published in journals such as Ecological Restoration.

SSI is funded through community donations, tiered corporate sponsorships (Dragonfly Circle at $5,000 down to Beetle Buddy at $100), grants, and educational partnerships; all programs and services are delivered free of charge to the community. Its customer base spans students and educators, community members, volunteer monitors, rural health research participants, and institutional sponsors such as the City of Nevada City, Dignity Health, Tri Counties Bank, and Briar Patch Co-op. Operationally, the organization runs as a community-science nonprofit with an in-house lab, internship and volunteer pipelines, and engagement events including Sierra Streams Fest and Sci-Pub. No commercial product, app, or API exists, and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

SIERRA STREAMS INSTITUTE

Legal name

Sierra Streams Institute

Website

https://sierrastreamsinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sierra Streams Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1995 in Nevada City, California that conducts watershed monitoring, restoration, research, and environmental education across 11 Sierra Nevada watersheds, serving students, community volunteers, and rural health research participants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Watershed Management and Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (115310), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Watershed/Source Water & Raw Water Quality Monitoring (intakes, reservoirs, groundwater) (EUANAJAH), Watershed Protection & Water Quality Services (AFAMAMAB), Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Watershed monitoring services
• Environmental science education
• Ecological restoration programs
• Water quality laboratory
• Community science research

Headquarters

HQ city

Nevada City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: SSI operates as a nonprofit organization funded through community donations and corporate sponsorships. They offer tiered sponsorship programs (Dragonfly Circle $5,000, Caddisfly Club $2,500, Stonefly Circle $1,000, Mayfly Member $500, Damselfly Donor $250, Beetle Buddy $100 yearly) with varying benefits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sierra Streams Institute is a nonprofit environmental organization that conducts community-powered watershed monitoring, in-house water quality chemistry and benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) laboratory analysis, ecological restoration, science education, and applied watershed research across Sierra Nevada watersheds. The organization delivers these integrated programs free of charge to the community, funded through donations, sponsorships, and grants, with Deer Creek as its home watershed and work spanning 11 watersheds.

Product overview

Sierra Streams Institute is a nonprofit environmental organization offering integrated watershed science services, not a traditional software product company. The organization's portfolio consists of interconnected programs: Watershed Monitoring serves as the data collection backbone, supported by the Chemistry Lab and Bug Lab (BMI Lab) for analytical services. The Restoration program applies this data to enhance native biodiversity and address environmental degradation. Education Programs engage students and teachers through field trips, teacher resources, and California Naturalist certification. Research drives scientific understanding through studies on watershed science, environmental health (including the CHIME study on mining exposure impacts), and phytoremediation. Community events like Sierra Streams Fest and Sci-Pub, along with the Ask A Scientist resource, facilitate public engagement with science.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Watershed Monitoring

Quantifiable outcome

• 12K+ data points collected through watershed monitoring
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Ready Nevada CountyminorOthersCommunity sponsor listed on SSI's sponsors page. Ready Nevada County is a local organization supporting community initiatives in Nevada County, California.
• ElevationminorOthersCommunity sponsor listed on SSI's sponsors page at the Dragonfly Circle level ($5,000 yearly).
• ProvisionsminorOthersCommunity sponsor listed on SSI's sponsors page.
• Tri Counties BankminorOthersCommunity sponsor listed on SSI's sponsors page.
• Dignity HealthminorOthersCommunity sponsor listed on SSI's sponsors page.
• Briar Patch Co-opminorOthersCommunity sponsor listed on SSI's sponsors page.
• City of Nevada CityminorOthersCommunity sponsor listed on SSI's sponsors page.
• Universities and AgenciesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSI undertakes studies, publishes papers, presents at conferences, and shares data with universities and agencies as part of their research mission.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• American Rivers: American Rivers is a national nonprofit that protects and restores rivers and clean water through advocacy, policy, and on-the-ground projects. It represents a scaled national version of SSI's watershed mission with broader geographic reach and a wider portfolio of activities.
• San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI): SFEI is a California nonprofit scientific institute that conducts monitoring, science, and policy research on Bay-Delta and watershed systems. It is comparable to SSI on the applied water quality monitoring and BMI/water chemistry laboratory dimensions but at greater institutional scale.
• Sierra Club Foundation: The Sierra Club Foundation is the fiscal and philanthropic arm of the Sierra Club, supporting environmental protection programs in the Sierra Nevada and beyond. It overlaps with SSI's regional environmental stewardship and education mission at much greater national scale.
• Nature Conservancy (California Chapter): The Nature Conservancy operates globally with a major California chapter focused on land and water conservation, including Sierra Nevada forest and watershed health. It is a far larger incumbent that overlaps with SSI's forest health, restoration, and stewardship work.

Regional players

• Sacramento River Watershed Program: Sacramento River Watershed Program coordinates monitoring, restoration, and education across the larger Sacramento River watershed in Northern California. It is a broader geographic peer whose multi-stakeholder monitoring and education approach overlaps with SSI's community science mission.
• California Waterfowl Association: California Waterfowl Association is a regional nonprofit dedicated to wetland conservation, waterfowl habitat, and hunter-supported restoration across California. While focused on wetlands rather than streams, it shares the nonprofit California conservation-restoration model and community-engagement ethos with SSI.

Direct peers

• Truckee River Watershed Council: Truckee River Watershed Council is a nonprofit dedicated to watershed restoration, monitoring, and stewardship of the Truckee River system in the eastern Sierra Nevada. It mirrors SSI's model of volunteer-based monitoring, restoration projects, and education programs within a nearby California/Nevada Sierra region.
• River Partners: River Partners is a California-based nonprofit that restores riverine habitat and native biodiversity across the state. Its focus on riparian restoration and large-scale ecological projects in California watersheds makes it a strong functional peer for SSI's restoration and biodiversity programs.
• South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL): SYRCL is a Nevada County-based nonprofit focused on the South Yuba River watershed, combining community science, river monitoring, education, and restoration. It is the closest direct geographic peer to SSI, operating an almost identical integrated model of monitoring, advocacy, education, and volunteer engagement in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
• Freshwater Trust: The Freshwater Trust is a Pacific Northwest-based nonprofit that restores river systems through science-driven, project-scale water quality and habitat improvements. Its science-led restoration and water quality focus closely parallels SSI's water quality lab, BMI lab, and restoration programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sierrastreamsinstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sierra-streams-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SIERRA STREAMS INSTITUTE